SECURE INVESTMENT
This Shabbos, in addition to the weekly Parsha, Vayakheil – Pikudei, we will also read Parshas Para which contains the instructions for preparing the ashes of the Red Heifer. The Haftorah will be read from Yechezkal (Ezekiel) 36:16, in which the prophet tells his people how Ha-Shem will redeem them from the nations where they have been exiled.
Remarkably, he quotes HaShem saying, the reason He will redeem them is not because they deserve it. Quite to the contrary, they do not deserve it because while in the hands of the nations they desecrated HaShem’s Holy Name. Rather, He will redeem them in order to sanctify His Holy Name. The nations of the world should no longer say “Look, the people chosen by HaShem are homeless!” Instead, they will see His people return to their Land upright and confident. The nations will say “Look how that desolate Land has become so fruitful and how populous it has become!” At that time they will realize that our exile was due to our unworthiness and not to HaShem’s weakness.
On one side, the message that we are unworthy is a dreadful message. However, if we will dip beneath the surface the message can be elevating.
Let us ask the prophet why must HaShem redeem us? If He is concerned about His great Name, does He have no other way to sanctify His Name? Are His options of raising His dignity limited to raising our status?
The answer is that HaShem placed His great Name in us! He invested His great Name and His Reputation in us! Yes, many years ago, the Director of History recognized the qualities of our people and the fidelity of our forefathers as being worthy of investing His Name in us. HaShem entered into an irrevocable covenant with us. He must redeem us to sanctify His Name because we are the carriers of that Name. He locked His destiny onto our destiny!
Our Sages teach us that HaShem does not associate His Name with a person while they are still alive. The reason for this is because every person has free will to accept or reject HaShem. No matter how great a person is, no matter how loyal a man may be in his commitment to HaShem, he never loses his free will to reject Him. As long as the per-son is alive, he is never secure. At any point he can exercise his free will of rejection. If that were to happen it would be a disgrace to HaShem’s Name. Therefore He waits until they pass on. Only after death can HaShem securely associate His Name.
In spite of this consideration HaShem associated His Name with His people because no matter how far our people will drift from Him, there remains an unbreakable attachment we have to Him. HaShem is confident that given the right environment we will return to Him.
It is true that HaShem says our redemption is for His Name’s sake and not for our sake. Nevertheless, once we will be redeemed we will be worthy of redemption. We will be the carriers of His name. Let us restate the prophets words as follows “Although the people have no merit to be redeemed, nevertheless HaShem is committed to you because He tied His destiny to you.” How reassuring and comforting that message is!
We often encounter overwhelming challenges and do not know how we can overcome them. Whether they relate to money, relationships or health, only a miracle can help us. After reading this week’s Haftorah we can draw strength to move on. Yechezkal teaches us that even when we have depleted all merits and are totally unworthy of redemption, HaShem is nevertheless tied to us. He has invested His destiny with ours. Our every difficulty becomes a source of pain to Him as well. When a single Jew lies in pain this causes pain to Him as well.
The knowledge that we do not carry our burden alone but He is with us, can lighten the load and allow us to hope for a miracle.
On a personal note, it was on this Shabbos 10 years ago that my beloved brother in-law, Rabbi Mendel Freedman z’l received his miraculous heart transplant. HaShem granted the Baltimore community the miracle of having Rabbi Freedman with us for another ten years.
Have a wonderful Shabbos.
Paysach Diskind